Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-10-06

| north OF where the bOatmen had tried
to Lard There. clearly outlined
against the sky. was a moving figure.
Captain! what's that?' l cried.
isn't it possible some of those poor
fellows have got out alive?'
Couldn't have climbed that bluff. ~
he answered. taking the glass and
sweeping the shore "alow and :tIof;. -
After Il moment the glass came to a
rest, then slowly lowered as if some
object was being kept in focus. lived
years in seconds then.
"Must be redskin." the captain
muttered. Cant drown redskin;
one v their eggshells ii live in break
ers that'd s;ave tie staunchest boat
that's ever built. Thought I'd made
it right" and he again handed his
glass to me.
could clearly discern IN object, ris.
ing and falling on the water, and
though taking an irregular course.
gradually nearing the cutter. Nearer
still it came. and we thought we could
see something that looked like man,
half lying. half sitting. in the canoe
that was padded by one Indian.
"Canoe ahoy!" shouted the cap.
tain. Whats aboard?"
The Indian made no answer. but
padded slowly on.
'Stand by for Il rope" the captain
shouted.
A rope, shot out over our heads, was
deXterously caught by the Indian, and
the canoe was drawn through the COM
paratively smooth water. One of tho
sailors lowered a boat-hook till it al
most touched the bottom of the little
craft With the help of the hook and
of strong hands my brother Harry half
climbed. was half lifted, on to the cut
ter's deck.
OF the six men who went in the
boat, he was the only one saved. and
he had been drawn out of the surf,
when he was past helping himself, by
the friendly Indian.
Taking the Indian on board and his
canoe in tow, we sailed for Trinidad.
In the morning, Standish and l. with
the Indian, started for the gold beach,
carrying tools for gathering aod bags
for holding the gold. We reached the
beach. 1t was the place we had seen
few days before glittering with the
precious metal. We could not be mis-
<.l- nx-I,,,,-tn1 Il
carefully taken our bearings Bat
there was nothing there but sand!
Black sand!
"What fools we have been," said
Standish. THE very same force that
brought the gold IN has carried it out
again, and left only the sand. such as
we might walk on for miles,
Our feet made heavy by disappoint-
ment, we dragged ourselves back to the
cutter. S.andish gave the word. and
we were soon headed for San Fran
CISCO
l shall never forget the evening WI en-
Standish, Harry and l sat on deck in
the stern of the cutter. ard talked over
our adventures since we started on the
gold hunt.
''Rob." said Harry. at last, "I'm off
for home! You will do rs you please.
of course, but 1 tell you, when a fellow
has looked death in the face, life is a
new thing for him. 1t seems as if my
life had been taken from me and given
back It's mean use to make of life
to spend it getting money for moneys
sake only!'
Ppm not going to give up so," said
Standish. There's gold in these sands.
that's plain enough. There must be
some way to get some of it. and who
knows but l may be lucky enough tc
see it washed up again?''
As Harry and l were determined to
take the next steamer for the isthmus,
we turned over our interest in the
company to Standish. The beaches
have since been worked with fair sue
cess. But l believe no such sight has
ever again appeared to any party of
miners rs that glttcring beach whose
golden sands our restitution forbade
out gathering; those treasure" no:
even "hidd~l in the sands but which
our wants compelled us to leave to be
borne out into the ocean waste.
SUSAN ID. NICKERsON.